some experts say that nation may have gained something from the high-profile case of merrill newman. the 85-year-old returned home this past weekend. he was detained for more than a month accused of crimes dating back to the korean war. after being forced to publicly apologize, the government deported him on what it called humanitarian grounds. one expert says that apology may show how powerful the government is. >> they can use that information to demonstrate to the population that they, the regime, is in control and it can extract confessions from americans. >> while merrill newman is a free man, north korea continues to hold another american citizen, kenneth bae. bae has been sentenced to 15 years for hostile acts against the communist state. >>> president obama and first lady michelle are on their way to south africa to attend nelson mandela's memorial service. mean tile, tributes to the anti-apartheid icon continue to pour in. nbc's ron allen has more. >> reporter: the celebration of the life of nelson mandela continues now for yet another day. >> i'm very proud to be a south af